Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Tracking

In the lower districts of Igewent, far from the bustling areas, two figures dressed in civilian clothes and wearing masks were lurking at the entrance of a dark alleyway. They observed the situation inside the alley covertly from behind a corner.

There, they saw their target, a little girl in a black cloak, standing deep within the alley, holding up a box triumphantly. In front of her stood a pale, tall, and slender man dressed elegantly like a gentleman.

‘They were right… That little girl was sent to the Secret Meeting. The one who gave the order wants to sell the society’s items without revealing their identity!’

The two men observing this scene smirked inwardly.

‘Hmph, quite cautious, but still too inexperienced. They don’t understand the society’s influence in Igewent. How could the society miss out on a gathering by the Gray Hill? Now we have you cornered…’

As they thought this, a slight smile appeared on their faces as they continued watching. The little girl holding the box spoke again.

“Sir! You promised the subsequent reward!”

After the girl finished speaking, the pale gentleman smiled and gently patted her head before taking out a banknote from his pocket and handing it to her. He then took back the box.

“Thank you, kind sir! May the Holy Mother bless you!”

Excitedly accepting the money, the girl bowed deeply to the gentleman and ran away happily after wishing him well. The gentleman holding the box walked silently down another path.

Seeing this, the two hidden men exchanged glances and quickly followed.

Continuing to hide, the two men trailed the gentleman with the box. Their goal was clear: track down the mysterious man selling society items, find his hideout, gather as much information as possible, and report it back to the society. Then, they would wait for the society to move in, capture the target, and interrogate him about the source of the items he had, forcing him to pay a heavy price.

For providing crucial intelligence, they would earn merit and receive generous rewards from the society.

Thus, lured by the promise of merit, the two men continued tracking the gentleman ahead. Unbeknownst to them, someone was watching from above.

The gentleman with the cane moved leisurely forward, his steps unhurried, as if taking a stroll. Occasionally, he would stop to look up or give alms to a child beggar nearby. Despite being in the dirty alleyways, his demeanor remained composed.

Just like a true gentleman.

However, the gentleman’s calm attitude made the two men following him anxious, wishing that their target would hurry to their base.

Though the gentleman moved slowly, he continued moving forward. Gradually, he left the alley and entered a busy street where the two trackers could better follow him.

After some time, the two men noticed that the gentleman had arrived at the riverside square. Many citizens were there enjoying the cool river breeze; today was a rare day when the upstream factory was not operating, so there was no industrial exhaust in the air.

Amidst the strolling citizens, the two men could better conceal themselves. They approached the gentleman, who was standing by the riverbank railing, staring motionlessly at the ferry passing by.

‘Is this guy going to admire the river view?’

Watching this, the trackers hiding among the crowd thought anxiously. Just as they wondered how long he would stay there, the gentleman suddenly turned around.

Turning around, Edric looked at the crowd, a smile forming on his lips.

Then, he removed his hat with his right hand and placed it over his chest, held his cane with his left hand behind his back, leaned forward, and bowed to the crowd, to the trackers hidden among them, performing a proper gentleman’s salute.

Immediately afterward, Edric straightened up, kept smiling, spread his arms wide, and fell backward into the river behind him.

Seeing this, the two trackers were startled and rushed out of the crowd to the riverbank, peering down, but could only see the river flowing endlessly, with no sign of anyone.

Seeing this, the two men exchanged glances, sensing something strange.

“We must report this to the society immediately…”

Nodding to each other, the two men set off immediately, ignoring the screaming civilians witnessing the same scene, and rejoining the crowd.

The two men moved swiftly through the lower district, turning into an alley after walking two blocks. They stopped in front of a red wooden door with steps leading up to it.

They then knocked on the door in an orderly manner and said some code words. Afterward, the door opened, and they all entered together.

On the rooftop opposite the wooden door, a silent crow stood on the edge of the railing, watching the scene below.

It had been watching the two men from the start, never leaving their heads. Every action they took was within its sight.

Not far away, on the second floor of a bustling street café, a white-haired girl in a simple white blouse and gray skirt received a coffee from a waiter and thanked him politely. She added eight sugar cubes to her hot coffee, stirred it slowly with a spoon until the sugar dissolved, then blew lightly on the steaming coffee before sipping it delicately. A satisfied expression appeared in her eyes.

She put the coffee back on the table and, after recalling some information she had gleaned, whispered softly.

“Yuluxi Alley… No. 22?

“I’ve found you…

“A smile played on Dorothy’s lips. She knew that the counter-tracking operation had succeeded. For her, it was a fruitful day.”